The Red Baron Revisited
by Baron5X
Summary: A revised edition of my story of the Red Baron. This is the story about our greatest enemy, ourselves. Our hero fights such an enemy and this internal struggle is decide the fate the Earth, humanity, the universe, and the ones he holds closest to him.
1. Freak On A Leash

**The Red Baron**

**Author:** Baron5X aka The Red Baron

**Disclaimer**:  
The title "The Red Baron" is owned by the author.  
The title of "The Red Baron" has no affiliation with the WWI German pilot that shot down at least 80 planes  
Any original characters are strictly owned by the author of this fan fiction.  
The story line of the entire "The Red Baron" series is also owned strictly by me.  
This story may not be distributed to anybody without the author's permission. However, the author does encourage you to welcome your friends to read "The Red Baron" on this page.

Much thanks...

**Freak On A Leash**

Earth was a blessed and prosperous world, enduring constant change of its environment and its living beings. The human race itself had flourished and even continued to thrive as a people, being both the Earth's savoir and its enemy at various points. However, Earth had been spared many wars that have slipped by the tiny planet, waged on by humans and other creatures unknown to the masses, thus leaving the world in wonder. Only a handful of tales were passed on by generations of secrecy, few of them dying, lost forever.

Yet the most important of battles, the ones that shaped history and the planet itself, were spread across the hearts of people everywhere. Battles deep within us that motivate us on the outside and effect everywhere around us. For some, its effects are small, only reaching a handful of people among that one person. But there were those that fought an inner turmoil that forever changed the Earth and the universe. This is one such story about our greatest enemy…ourselves…

Deep in the jungles of forgotten lands was an ancient tribe that carried on the traditions and legacy of its ancestors; those who remembered the lost history of Earth. It was a dark group of people, working in shadowed arts and magic unknown to most of the outside world.

Tonight was an important night for the people of this clan. After many centuries, they discovered the key to an ancient tomb guarded by their families for over three millennia.

As hundreds of black cloaked men, women, and children processed through the thick jungle toward the tomb, there was a feel of great devotion and excitement. Cutting themselves off from technology of the outside world, they could not simply destroy the seal nor were their magics capable of such destruction. But finally the ability was granted and the time had come.

Legend had it that behind the tomb door was an ancient god or war, ready to be awakened from his sleep to rule the world with an iron fist and take his people to control the entire planet. Also nested with the great god was a great hero who was the protector and champion of this god.. He would lead the armies to victory and lay the path for his god.

This design well suited the villagers. For its members were well trained warriors, some had even come from distant lands and believed that the being that laid within the tomb was one to take them to a nirvana of power that was beyond their imagination. Already they had proven their blood lust as only hours before they had brutally defeated a rival tribe of warriors that possessed the key the sought. Apparently its location was always known but their attempts were always thwarted when the rival tribe's champion was in battle. But this night they were able to distract the mighty champion and swiftly took the village in the champion's absence.

The villagers gathered around the tombs entrance. The chief of the tribe, who carried the key, walked toward an engraving on the wall. The chief inserted the key and the door began to lift open as if it, too, was waiting impatiently. The villagers walked right into the tomb.

It was only a few yards in when they discovered in the very center of the room an enormous statue. It was of a man; tall, enormous body and long hair flowed down his back. The statue was of black marble and the man looked very bold and focused.

The chief wasted little time looking over to the text underneath the feet. It read that inside this statue slept a dark being of great power and might whose influence and strength will crush the world and all who dwell within it. The villagers looked at it for a moment and began to second guess themselves. But the chief was convinced that this was the warning that his fathers told him about. Their enemy was playing one, final trick on them. Freeing this statue would free their god, who was imprisoned and whose power would change their lives.

The chief pulled out an ancient scroll, a few of the people fled in fear of what was read. But the chief was not about to be stopped. Reading from the scroll, he began to chant in an ancient and unheard of tongue that none of the other villagers could understand. It sounded dark, evil and puzzling, even to the chief. Once the chief had finished, all of those who remained kept their eyes on the statue. After a long while, cracks began to run up and down the statue. The chief yelped as the scroll from which he read from began to burn. The dropped the scroll and looked in horror as the scroll burned with a blackened flame. Soon, bits and pieces were flying off the statues, leaking a dark and yet blazing light that was shining though the room. After one final blast of light, the room went dark again. But there had been a dramatic change.

To the left, a room had been opened, illuminating very ancient markings and symbols that were too numerous to describe. The other tomb door had closed, seemingly trapping them inside. But the change was the most awesome was the appearance of a man in place of the statue. He was exactly like the statue only in living color. He eyes were a dark red and the man gave off a dark aura, encircling his body. He looked down at the people as he stood there, easily seven feet tall and naked.

The villagers looked in shock and almost terror at the man but immediately began to bow and pray to the man they thought to be their god. The chief was on his knees, singing joyous songs of praise.

The man spoke down to the chief.

"I thank you for your service to me, loyal subjects. For too long have I been imprisoned in that living hell. My enemy was a clever one and managed to seal me within stone and stop my advancement as ruler of this world. I will always remember you as the people that allowed my power to rain upon this earth again and for that, I grant you a just reward."

The villagers all exalted and cheered and the chief walked up to him and held the man's extended hand.

"Master, we thank you for your kindness and your blessings. What is it that we are to so humbly receive?"

The man gave very wide grin as he looked straight into the man's eyes. The hand that he has extended began to glow an aura far more powerful then the one around his body. A ball of dark energy had appeared and slowly the villagers looked in awe and question as to what the man was doing.

"The reward I plan to give to my loyal subjects is the greatest gift I will bring to this world…A SHORT AND PAINLESS DEATH!"

Before any of the villagers could even react to the man's words, the ball was unleashed a stream of dark energy filled the room and in one instant, bodies were turned to dust on the tomb floor, leaving silence. Not so much as a scream was allowed to leave their mouths and their reward had been granted. The man walked off from his standing place and made his way to the room that had opened.

"Pity, my powers are completely drained from what they were. They have robbed me of my ability but I will see to its return shortly."

Inside the room was a place filled with column after column. At the very center were two gold necklaces, both similar to the key used to enter the tomb. The man grabbed the one on his left instinctively and placed it around his neck. As similar as the two necklaces were, he felt the presence of HIS power in HIS necklace. He shivered from the excitement and power return to his body. The rush was so great that he nearly fell over, sweat appearing on his brow and a smile on his face.

As he gave a clam, satisfied growl, a shockwave of energy filed the room, coming off of him. His body produced a dark aura that increased with each passing second. His growl grew into a roar and with one last pulse, the shockwave ceased.

"YES, this is what I have craved for so long. This power is all I have desired for. But it is still not enough. It will take a great amount of time to fight off the enchantments placed on this necklace and fully restore my own power."

The man peered to his right and saw the second necklace. He grinned and reached his hand toward it.

"With this one, my full potential can grow, making any obstacle nothing more then an annoyance."

The necklace glowed with a bright and heavy red. It was giving off great power. The man knew what it was about. A spell had been placed on it to have that ability to flee in case the man was to get close to it. But it took a while for enough power to generate, more than enough time to grab it and obtain its power.

Before he could reach it, a voice yelled and a great white light came.

"Remove yourself from here, you taint!" yelled a female voice.

A beam of light hit the man straight on and flung him back, away form the necklace. As the dust cleared, the man seemed to have suffered little damage from the attack. The person to come from the shadows was a woman clothed in garbs of long, white robes. Underneath, she was covered head to toe in a tight and stealthy armor. The man spoke to her.

"The power you wield is familiar. It was once associated with this necklace, correct? For so long your people have struggled to keep me from the world and the Red One's locked powers. It would appear that you have failed to protect it, my dear. Even without that necklace on my chest, your power is nothing compared to mine."

The man suddenly became clothed, having conjured something to wear with his powers. He now appeared in a type of black chest armor with silver markings designed onto it. Everything else was also of a black material, his pants, his long sleeves, and the flowing cape that rolled about his back. His massiveness seemed even more shocking now with his brilliant attire.

The woman wasted no time with words and began to attack with powerful punches and kicks that shook the very walls of the tomb. The man was caught very much off guard by her aggressive attacks and moved back, desperately trying to avoid a connection. The longer she fought, the more intense her attacks became. Barely missing the man, the woman hit the column behind him as he ducked away, the punch she threw instantly disintegrated the column. The man, having evaded the attack, now saw in opportunity to attack and made an effort to take aim with a punch to her gut. The woman jumped up just in time and hovered in the air. However, the man attack produced such great force that the energy it released generated such force that the female warrior was thrown into the ceiling. She smashed into the wall and gave out a small yelp.

"Your mine!" the man yelled to her.

He jumped up flew straight toward her. His speed was so great that it appeared that she was still. However that was not the limit of her abilities. At the last moment, she pushed herself out of his way and he went straight through the ceiling himself. He soon realized this and stopped himself in midair and turned around to head back down. But the woman was right here next to him and her strike ready to connect. He struck with an incredible jab with a glowing bluish aura surrounding her fist. He attack connected and the man flew back up higher into the building and to the outside.

The woman landed and suddenly turned to here side. As she expected, the man landed several feet in front of her as he fell through the building back down to her location. She doubled back put her hand flat together in front of here. As the man began to gather himself, she was gathering energy. Her bluish glow faded into a bright golden glow and it engulfed her presence. She opened her eyes and looked directly toward her staggering enemy, releasing the energy.

"White Art Number One: White Shock!"

The energy that surrounded her shot from her and fell directly onto the man. Suddenly, he was engulfed in the light and he screamed. The attack absorbed him and was seemingly electrocuting him with the golden energy that was released onto him. The man fell once again to his knees and trembled from the pain as it overtook him. Holding her stance and the attack, the woman called out to him.

"Do not resist, demon. You have met your match in the champion of my people; descendants of those who helped imprison you long ago. While you slept, we trained in anticipation of your return. We've been ready for you for ages. I am the White Warrior."

"Is that so?"

The White Warrior's eyes grew. To her terror, the man began to glow a terrible violet color and it began to dissolve the golden energy that the White Warrior surrounded him with. Somewhat struggling, the man lifted his head and looked toward the White Warrior. His eyes were now pitching black and his grin was devilish. He laughed slightly, just loud enough to be heard over the disruptive energies. The necklace seemed to be pouring out the dark energy and the man was using it to be released.

When he had gathered enough energy, he stood up. Desperately, the White Warrior tried to pour more energy into the attack but he seemed unaffected. He took a deep breath and with all his might, shouted and released the powerful energy that proved more then enough to shatter his constraints and cancel out the White Warrior's attack. Caught in a second of panic, the White Warrior froze up and before she could regain herself, she was attacked.

The man lunged forward and with a simple swipe, knocked the White Warrior into the columns across the room. She eventually skidded to a halt, coughing a little. The attack caused the garments on her face to come off, revealing her dark skin and brown eyes. Some blood ran out the side of her mouth.

The man appeared suddenly next to her and looked down on her with a crooked smile. He extended his arm and once gain revealed a small ball of dark energy and aimed it right at her.

"You fought well, my dear. Reminds me of some fun days. It's a shame that you were all they could produce. Perhaps you were just a failure, surely one of your kind could have lasted another 5min."

The White Warrior though hurt and on the edge of consciousness after using much of her energy and taking the direct attack, began to laugh.

"What is it you find funny weak one?"

She pointed to where other necklace was. The man turned around in time to see it blast off through the tomb's ceiling and into the known world. Within seconds, the man could no longer feel its presence. His opportunity to take the necklace and its power had vanished. The White Warrior lifted her head and spoke to her enemy.

"It goes out to seek its new master. It does not find you, Dark One, to be worthy of its touch."

With a dark look at the White Warrior, the Dark One powered up and flew through the roof of the building. Looking down, he yelled to the White Warrior who was looking up at him.

"Foolish girl! For your interruption, I will now send you on a one way trip TO HELL!"

The Dark One began to generate an extremely large ball of energy that was hundreds of time bigger then his pervious attempts. With a simple push downwards, the ball of black energy went racing toward the tomb.

"DARK BARON BOMB!"

Before the White Warrior could react, the entire area was engulfed in a dark explosion of energy. The blast shook the very ground for miles and its brilliant glow could been seen for hundreds of miles. The tomb began to collapse and was torn apart by the sheer power of the attack. It proved even too much for the White Warrior to stand and she was carried off by the winds of the energy in the deepest parts of the doomed tomb.

As the dust cleared, all that could be seen was waste. Even bodies from the attacked villages near by could be found spread across the landscape, giving insight to the beings power.

"I am the Dark Baron of this world. I hold it in my hands and sap whatever power it can give me and use it for my own purposes of creating an all-powerful and unquestionable empire."

Without a second look at his deed, the Dark Baron began to make his way in the general direction the necklace took. His ability to sense energies had not fully returned to him yet and it would take him a little while to find where it had gone.

"The time will come where I will be able to meet my new enemy who possess the key to even greater power. I shall prepare the way for him, down a path he will never cross alive."

The Dark Baron disappeared into the twilight. Down below, White Warrior pushed through the rubble. Her clothes were almost completely torn asunder and cuts and bruises covered her from head to toe, she was barely able to speak and think. She struggled to breath with long heavy huffs for air.

_Must warn the chosen…before…it is too late. The Dark One cannot be allowed to conquer this plane._

With one final look at the black energy flying away, the White Warrior fell to the ground and there she fell into unconsciousness.


	2. Zero

**The Red Baron**

**Zero**

Far away from the events of that night, was a place in the daylight. This place was a sprawling city of people and business yet continued to house a sense of peace and tradition that was unique for its time. Yet at the same time, its uniqueness was not so great that its name was to be remembered. In fact, its claim in history would come later in that its impact on the Earth would be visible and understandable to all before too long.

It was such a place where lived a young man named Carlos Figueroa came to live and grow. His family for some generations had been able to establish a home in this place even before the times of economic growth and potential prosperity. Without any hesitation, it was a place they and the most of the other citizens of the city could call home.

Carlos was quite the maturing teen. At age seventeen, his life was productive and while not extremely exciting, seemed to appear to be satisfying to him in most every way. While not a genius, he was rather intelligent and some considered him to even be especially wise, being very analytical perhaps to a fault. However not so much as to be critical and judgmental as everyone would have described him first as gentle and kind and self-sacrificing before remembering any academic successes in his life.

Additionally, Carlos had interest in computers that he held dear to him all his life that was finally maturing into a rather promising skill. Being in is final year of high school, he was looking into where it would all lead him, especially because he would much of his free time playing a video game and wanted to perhaps make one of his own some day.

Of course, it wasn't something really on his mind as it was the middle of summer and school was not to be in session of another good month. While he wasn't playing video games, there wasn't much else you would catch him doing. Dating wasn't something he ever really got into (though it can't be said if it was a lack of interest or a lack of ability) so the remainder of the time was spent with friends or another class of sorts.

Years ago, Carlos had sparked a rather unexplained interest in learning marital arts. This caught his parents by surprise as Carlos was never one to do anything so physical. After some convincing, however, they were persuaded to let him go to a class near by. Since then, this interest has been found to be the seed of a decent proficiency in hand-to-hand combat.

Carlos was in class that day. The day's lesson was nearly finished and all that was left was physical training by partner sparing. Carlos and his closest friend, Josh Hefley, were partners in the class. Hefley, as Carlos called him do to the other "Josh" named students that seemed to pop up around them, was much more proficient at general marital arts taught at the class and while far more advanced then Carlos, didn't mind sparing with him. Carlos appreciated this as Hefley tended to go easy on him and made learning the techniques more comfortable.

Carlos was 17 years old at this time. His skin tone was slightly tan but it was likely that his hobbies of video games, television, and reading left him from a bit darker of a tone. In the class, he wore would looked like a fairly standard martial arts robe, rumor being that their master wasn't big on dealing with details. It was white, some black trimmings and a black belt (there was hardly a system of levels in the class, also considered to be a detail the master did not bother with). Though nearly six feet in height, he wasn't very large nor did he have a dominating figure. Hefley, though stronger, had about the same presence about him. Even their hair colors were just as black, though his hair seemed darker due to his lighter skin tone.

"Come on, Carlos. After fighting me almost everyday, you'd think you could get a decent off more often."

Carlos, grinning at Hefley's sarcasm, took a quick jab at him, purposely missing the right side of his face.

"It isn't too early to start, you know."

Hefley gave a quick laugh distracting Carlos long enough for a quick grab at his extended arm and with one powerful thrust sent Carlos into the air and back down again. The bump was hard and Carlos nearly bounced back up again with the force. The small whines and gasps that escaped from Carlos as he flew and landed were just signs of another day. Even so, Carlos could held but smile and laugh a little.

"Man, Hefley! I thought you were going easy on me! You almost broke my glasses dude."

Carlos was wearing glasses but there were a tad different. They were actually more like prescription goggles and while awkward looking, they served their purpose and stopped the serial destruction of a long line of glasses before them. Still cautious, however, Carlos couldn't help but worry sometimes.

"You should have been careful, Carlos. You just stuck your hand out there. 'Course I'm gonna grab it. Ya!"

Carlos stood up in time to see their master make way toward them. She was Master Janus, instructor and owner of the studio there trained in. Unlike Carlos and Hefley, she indeed did have a presence about here, though not quite as tall as the boys. While she didn't pay their details much mind, she sure took care to have a black version of their uniforms tailored for her. She stuck out like a sore thumb and sore was the best way to describe her then.

"Carlos, you really don't seem to be getting the hang of it at all. It's nice that you got the guts for this and your moves aren't half bad but you take it too easy. You have to be just a bit more aggressive so that Hefley here doesn't rip your arm off again."

Carlos reddened with embarrassment. He gave her a nervous laugh. Then she turned her way toward Hefley.

"I'm sorry, Master Janus. I'll try hard next time."

"Ya, I'm sure you will be we need more 'do' then 'try' next time."

With another exhausted look, Carlos replied.

"Yes ma'am, sorry."

Master Janus turned her attention to Hefley next.

"Nice work with distracting him, though. Guess you've been improving bit by bit, too."

"Thanks, Master Janus. Just been practicing a lot and working hard and-"

Before he realized it, Master Janus had wrapped her hand over the front of his robe and with a single arm, launched him like he did Carlos before. Carlos barely jumped out of the way as Hefley crashed back first on the same spot, knocking probably more then just the wind out of him.

"For your going to be trying to play tricks on your opponents, then at least make sure you can catch it happening to you."

She walled away laughing. Though she was much older then anyone in that room, it was clear that nearly every youthful aspect about her and her abilities as a martial artist had done little aging of their own. Even her blonde, shoulder length hair told no signs of her times though the stiffness of her face sometimes revealed the years of combat had on her.

Carlos and Hefley got up and tried to regroup. Hefley had expected that attack less then Carlos had expected his and it had made its mark. The humiliation definitely taught him the lesson for the day.

Master Janus called her students to her attention. After a few words of advice, some general and some specific, she dismissed the class for the day. Carlos and Hefley, after giving a formal bow along with the rest of the class, began to make their way to the door when Master Janus began walking up to him. Their first thought was another possible test of their skills so they began to brace themselves, winning an awkward look from their master as she caught up to them.

"I need a word with you boys."

Carlos and Hefley looked at each other and Carlos, in an attempt to be funny, made a rather loud sounding gulp. Hefley couldn't help but laugh out loud as they walked toward Master Janus. She responded with a low growl and a stern frown.

"This isn't funny, you know. You two have been coming here for years and you have still can't quite catch up. You fail constantly and your current rank in the system is more then enough to remind you of your lack of progress."

Carlos's smile faded. He knew that it wasn't all true. He may in fact be behind but that Hefley was not the one fault. It was only because Hefley trained with Carlos that Hefley was unable to prove himself and didn't spar with other students often. Worse, he knew that Hefley was doing it in an attempt to help him catch up. If he wasn't there, Hefley would probably top rank by now.

True as it was, Hefley did not really believe so in his mind. A look of shame was definitely present. He bowed deeply.

"I'm sorry. We start doing better."

Carlos, almost lost in his thoughts, had a late reaction and bowed well after Hefley did. Master Janus looked down at them as they bowed. Carlos and Hefley tried very hard to keep their bow steady, waiting for their master to respond.

Then they heard footsteps. They opened their eyes and looked up and saw here exited the main gym into her office. Her back turned to them, she dismissed them.

"That's all for now. Go home and come back when you're ready."

Carlos and Hefley sighed and turned their heads to each other with smiled quirkily at each other, emitting a low laugh. They turned around and headed for the door. Though laughing on the outside, Carlos couldn't help feeling guilty on the inside.

* * *

Carlos and Hefley began to make their way back to their own homes. Carlos wore a black shirt and a pair of denim blue jeans. He usually liked to stick with wearing sneakers when he could but sandals suited him from time to time. He had removed and tucked away his goggles in his gym bag and now wore his usual pair of eyeglasses, small and just enough to cover the eyes though he always wore them really close to his eyes so they always gave him maximum view. His black hair was combed back a little but somewhat puffy since he didn't wish to reapply gel at the end of a long day.

Also, he wore with great pride his favorite color, red, was a constant gimmick used in his daily life for humor and personal preference of numerous items he owned. Today was no different as he wore his favorite red and wool and unzipped vest, even if it did at times make a painful amount of static. But with great pride he also wore his crucifix across his neck, something he felt devoted by definition and heritage. He never took it off and while he wore other accessories- a watch, wrist bands, and even a "wrist rosary"- he always found his necklace to be a special asset and took extra steps to make sure it was constantly displayed on his person as it now hung around his neck and above his black shirt.

But there are things that take him away from thinking about his faith and favorite color as he was still concerned about Hefley. Hefley now seemed unconcerned about Master Janus's words. The look of shame had gone and Carlos almost wondered if it had been fake, deliberate. But that thought soon vanished. Carlos knew Hefley better then that. Hefley just didn't want him to worry or feel guilty about the situation. Unfortunately, Carlos didn't feel any better.

Even as Hefley kept talking, about movies and new music and the game show he had watch last night, all that seem to blur past Carlos as he began to feel more and more depressed about the situation. With the occasional laugh and common response, he played out as if her were actually listening, not to ignore Hefley but unable to steer away from the thought that it was all his fault.

Eventually, Hefley quieted down and the rest of their walk consisted of pointing out random objects and random ideas that stemmed from them. Of the subjects, the favorite between the two was Hefley's clothing of the day. Today, he wore his "killer bunny" shirt, a purple shirt the portrayed a "cartoonish" depiction of a rabbit's head enlarged and seemingly jumping out of the shirt. Other then that, he usually kept the rest of his clothing normal; blue jeans, some sandals, and an uncombed set of hair. Otherwise, neither one of them were all to concerned over fashion outside of wearing suits.

Of course, all their talking and Carlos's thinking kept them moving slow. They were paying much attention to where they going. Carlos, stepping away from his train of thought, interrupted Hefley's comment on swimming with hippos.

"Hey Josh….I…think we missed the turn."

Hefley stopped and began to blankly look around him. He chuckled.

"Ya…ya! I guess you right."

They both laughed and stopped in their tracks to see where they need to go from there.

"Hey Hefley, are you sure we're not lost."

"Ya, maybe we are. I think. Dang it!"

Carlos sighed and pulled out his sell phone as he began looking around for a sell phone.

"Hey, mom. Ya, it's Carlos…no I didn't take the car. Janus wants us sweating before we get to class…well that's not it, I just need directions, we're kind of lost…"

Then Carlos heard a loud smack and for a moment was unsure where it was coming from. He felt a tingling sensation then spur up his back that was odd at first then it started to hurt. He also felt his weight shifting forward a little.

Carlos rolls across the floor as he realizes he was just struck with a bat across the back. Soon, Carlos gives out a loud yelp of pain as the full effect of the blow comes onto him. Advancing on him is a boy about his age wearing what looks like a school uniform of some sort. He's holding the bat that apparently hit him.

Carlos quickly gets up and just barely backs away out of the reach of the boy's second swing of the bat. Carlos looks up at him and recognizes him as a student of a rival school. Rumored was going around that a dark tone boy with a long side burns was out to make a name for himself with the school and thought that sending two of Carlos's classmates to the hospital was a good idea.

Carlos looked quickly behind him and saw Hefley dealing a problem of his own since this boy brought company with him.

"Hey buddy. Looks like you're a bit lost. Lucky I came along with this bat."

"Excuse me? How's swingin that into my back gonna help me here?"

"Well that's easy…I was just going send you home."

His buddies began to laugh in the background, apparently easily amused. Even in this type of situation, Carlos's sarcasm got the better of him. Given the rumors he'd already heard about him

"Right, just like the home run you sent straight into the pitcher mit last week."

Carlos jumped back, fully anticipating the reaction this baseball player was going to give. Sure enough, the boy swung the bat and barely missed Carlos's face. Carlos quickly put the phone back to his ear as he began to back up.

"Mom, I'm gonna have to ask you to come pick me up. I'll call you back."

Carlos hung up in time to get his bearing and watch out for the constant swinging of the boy's bat. In the background, Hefley was having to deal with the boys group. Though out numbered, Hefley's skill in marital arts proved to be very effective as he simply held them back.

Carlos, on the other hand, was having a tougher time of it. This boy, being a top athlete in his own school, was already tough to begin with and the added effect of the baseball bat gave him quite the advantage, even over someone trained in marital arts.

Carlos had to keep on dodging, unable to find much of an opening in the boy's violent and random swings of the bat. Carlos was constantly looking for an opening in the boy's attack.

Then, he saw it. The boy swung his bat down. Carlos quickly ran at the boy, which caused him to hesitate. Carlos managed to kick the baseball bat out of the boy's hands. In the same movement, Carlos spun and came back, sending a swift kick into the boy's gut and knocking him down.

However, the boy was tough and simply rolled out of the fall and stood back up on his feet. He charged Carlos and began to fight him with his bare hands. The boy did seem to have some training of his own, probably from team training session. Carlos threw him a punch and the boy quickly brushed it off and sent a right hook at Carlos. Carlos attempted to move out of the way but his reflexes were much to slow compared to this baseball player.

Carlos was knocked back and nearly lost his balance. The boy took the opportunity and sent a kick of his own straight into Carlos's gut. He was powerful, having been a strong runner during the games. Carlos had attempted to take in some air and now regretted it as it was all pushed out of him forcibly. He fell to his knees and began to cough violently.

Hefley saw the attack from the corner of his eye. Kicked away the guy next to him, he made a run toward Carlos, only to be caught on the shirt by another of the boys. The boy quickly pulled him to the ground and they immediately began to kick at him on the ground.

The boy with Carlos saw his opportunity can pulled his leg back to plant it on Carlos's bowed down face.

"You know, I used to play soccer, too when I was a kid. I had a hell of a kick back then. And your head reminds me of a soccer ball…"

The boy kicked at Carlos. The impact was brutal and it shattered Carlos's glasses. But Carlos had grabbed on to the boys leg. The boy tried to pull it back but he could not get it free.

"What the hell do you think your doing, geek! Let go of my leg!"

The boy pulled his arm back and was going to jab it into Carlos. Suddenly, Carlos pushed himself back up, lifting the boy off the ground. He threw the boy back and the boy landed nearly on his head. The impact was so unexpected that the boy was out cold when he hit the floor.

The other boys stopped. They and Hefley looked toward Carlos, silently. After a few seconds, Hefley began to point toward Carlos, his lips moving but no sound coming out. The other boys began to laugh. Carlos knew it at that instant. Before he could turn around, another boy, late to meet them, had come from behind and set the back into the back of Carlos's skull. Carlos fell to the floor immediately. Overcoming his lack of voice, Hefley yelled out to Carlos.

"CARLOS!! NO! Back off of him."

One of the boys turned around and sent a kick straight into his face, nearly breaking his nose and knocking him out cold.

The other boy with the bat stood over Carlos, his bat at hand. He and the rest began to laugh.

"You and the rest of your school of losers. You were all meant to be victims."

The boy lifted the bat and pulled it back, aiming for Carlos.

Before he could make any move, he stopped and looked up above him. Another boy noticed his reaction.

"What, what is it? Beat him! Kick his ass."

Then he looked up too. Then all the others. In the sky was a bright red light. They saw it get bigger and brighter. It was getting closer faster and faster.

"What the hell is that!!"

"To hell with this, I ain't getting hit by some bomb or alien."

"Shut up! It's not an alien!"

"It doesn't matter, I'm getting out of here."

One by one, the boys began to run, screaming out of panic, leaving Josh and Carlos to suffer the fate of the falling object. Carlos woke up and turned his bloody face toward the sky and the falling object. The area around them was heavy with a red glow radiating from the falling object. He didn't know what it was and he wasn't sure he was going to stay awake long enough to find out. Yet, he couldn't help but make a crooked smile.

_It's so warm..._


	3. If You Could Only See

**The Red Baron**

**If You Could Only See**

Carlos opened his eyes. The bright light that dazzled him was gone. It faded from his eyes and all around him he was covered by unending darkness. The warmth he had felt was fading and he soon found it to be cold.

He felt like he was floating. Still dazed, he reached around him, feeling for the ground or a bed or maybe his grave. Then it hit him.

Carlos sat up and his senses completely restored. Nearly in panic, he looked all around him as if trying to find something. He was looking to see where he was and if he was truly dead. His breathing became rapid, his heart raced and his mind spun out of control. He felt sick, using all his willpower to hold himself steady.

_Okay, calm down, Carlos. You're okay. You feel okay. You look okay._

Then Carlos realized that he was completely in the nude. Even though he was sure no one was there, he couldn't help but turn red in the face.

_Can't I at least have some clothes on when I die?_

As if on command, Carlos suddenly found himself back in the clothes he wore before the attack. He looked blankly around him as if to find some magic closet that just put the clothes on him or something. But he was still in darkness and nothing more.

Without even thinking about it, Carlos stood up, or at least felt like he was standing. Repeatedly, he crossed himself in the Catholic manner.

"Oh Lord, I'll do all my homework if ya get me out of here. I'll even do extra laps at Janus' from now on."

Carlos then realized that he was standing and completely scared himself. He jumped backward out of reaction and before he knew it, he was falling. Carlos screamed out into the darkness and screamed and screamed and screamed. Soon, however, he found that he wasn't hitting the ground. He ran out of breath and simply decided not to scream.

"Wait a sec, totally some weird dream. That jerk must have really knocked me hard on the head."

Feeling confident, Carlos simply imagined stopping. He felt the wind die down and soon stop altogether, making him feel that he had stopped falling. To test it, he even began to walk. He did a hop and a skip then proceeded to run around.

"Hey, this is fun. I never get to control my own dreams like all the other guys say they do. I'm so gonna make fun of this."

Carlos began to jump far and high, or at least what he though was high. He did back flips and cartwheels and forward-flips and he was sure that got the chance to fly. Carlos just ran around everywhere, not sure what he was doing but doing it in full confidence that this was nothing more then a hard-hit dream.

"Hmmm, I wonder if that means I'm in some coma. That would suck. Though I guess I could just entertain myself here for a while."

Before Carlos could continue his fun, he suddenly felt a shaking in the world. He stopped and tried to hold onto something but of course, there was nothing to hold on to.

_OH MAN! Either my coma body is really hungry or I'm about to enter a nightmare._

Carlos soon felt a shift under his feet and the falling started once again. But this time, however, he felt like he was floating. Try as he might, he could not longer control his dream. The more he struggled, the less it seemed to do. Soon, his course was set and he began to simply float into oblivion.

"This is going to be a long nap if I have to stay falling like this the whole time."

Then the area around him began to glow with a brilliant and powerful light. Carlos shielded his eyes but it felt like no matter what he did, the light shone through. It was so intense that it made his eyes feel like they were watering. But it was so warm.

"This feels like that thing I saw in the sky…"

The area around him dimmed down and Carlos looked around himself, amazed at what he was seeing. He saw a world of war and violence. It seemed like an ancient time he had once read in books. On the screen they all fought with swords, shields, and spears. Carlos could see a lot of the bloodshed and even closing his eyes did nothing to take away the scenes.

Soon, the imaged changed. It now depicted a beach. The waves crashing onto the shore. There he saw a woman, whose features he could not tell besides her wearing a long, white piece of cloth, walking down by the ocean. It was here he felt calm at relaxed. He could even feel the sand between his feet. He looked down and saw his shoes had come off all on their own.

"Looks like I do still have some control."

But as he looked down at his feet, he saw that the tide was rising. Carlos tried to move from the spot but he couldn't. His feet seemed bound and would not budge. Then, Carlos saw that the sun was growing dark, as if in a solar eclipse and the sky around him took a redish tone. Carlos looked down only to be shocked that the ocean that once made out the water now seemed to be filled with blood. Carlos began to struggle and begin to panic. The blood that cascaded around his ankles disgusted him and made his stomach growl in foul hatred toward the sea of blood. The sickly feeling began to manifest itself and he felt himself become weaker with an ill feeling.

Then, for no reason, Carlos looked up into the horizon. He saw a giant battleship. But it was not one of the seas but one of the sky. Though it blocked the sun, the ship was clearly visible under its own light and energy. Carlos was in shock, unable to process what he was seeing. Even in his modern age of technology, no one had the technology beyond getting heavy planes and moderately power spaceships. Carlos wasn't sure how, but he knew that ship was something beyond anything he had seen before.

Then, in a wired sensation, Carlos's vision began to make its way toward the ship. It was like he was flying yet it was only his sight that moved, with not control from him. He seemed to hover around the airship as if he himself were flying. His vision took him closer and closer toward the ship. Before he knew it, he was in the air himself, flying toward the ship at high speed. He felt the sensation of the wind chill his cheeks and numb his skin. He realized then that he was flying, with no control, toward the ship.

Carlos yelled out and braced himself for the impact with the ship's hull. He felt a tingling sensation and opened his eyes. He had passed through the hull and found himself standing in front of a control room. The room was manned by shadowed figures. He couldn't figure out any single person in the room, all of them mere silhouettes in his eyes.

But then he did notice one figure stand out. He stood in the middle of the room and appeared to be in charge. In fact, he appeared to be their leader. He was tall, muscular but not stereotypically bulky. He wore a sort of black armor and a long, flowing robe covered his back and part of the chair on which he sat. But most notably was his face; pale and cold with no pupils, just black, dark eyes. His hair was long as well, seemingly complementing his robe. The markings on his armor shone with a stunning but dull glow.

Most mysterious about him was not his appearance, which was impressive and intimidating already, but Carlos somehow knew him. And as he discovered this fact, it was like the man's name rolled of his tongue naturally, all on its own.

"The Dark Baron…"

Then, the man looked straight at Carlos and smiled. His grin was sinister and his teeth appeared like those of a dog, sharp, pointy, and foul. Carlos yelped and stepped back and fell over. But before he could hit the floor, he found himself once again falling. But now he was again in the middle of a battle.

Everywhere he turned he saw only blood shed and death. Carlos couldn't get away from it and continued to fall. The screams of death and destruction were so intense that Carlos felt his body would fall apart from it all. The airship now seemed to conducting its own attacks, sending what appeared to be massive energy blasts toward the ground below, destroying everything in its path, friend or foe. Carlos couldn't take it anymore.

"DAMN IT! GET ME OUT OF HERE!!"

Carlos found himself lying down. He was once again in the darkness. He sat up, gasping for air and trying to catch his breath and wipe away the images from his mind. But it was then he heard footsteps. But when he looked up, he couldn't find anyone around him. He tried to rub his eyes, thinking he might be out of it again. When he opened them, a new image appeared to him.

It was a woman. She had a darkened skin and brown, sad eyes. Carlos couldn't turn away from her. He felt like he needed to say something. He wasn't sure what or why. Her figure was wrapped in a white bodysuit, he arms wrapped in bandages and tied underneath her arms with a ribbon extending up to the shoulder. A thick, gold necklace was around here neck as well as golden bracers around her wrist and around here ankles and around her waist. Even her boots were whitened. But it was her eyes Carlos was interested in. They were indeed sad. Her black, shoulder length hair did little to hide them.

Carlos stood up and tried to walk toward her. But the more he tried to get close, the farther it seemed to get. Soon, Carlos began to ran, still questioning why it was he felt the urge to run.

Then, she disappeared. Carlos fell to the floor, grabbing at his chest. He felt a great burning sensation. It was as if his heart was on fire. He tired desperately to resist whatever it was and growled under his breath at the pain.

"Argh! Either I'm in love or I'm about to die. Guess which it is?"

When Carlos let go of his chest, he felt something in his hands. Bearing the pain a little longer, he looked down into his hands. On it was a necklace. In fact, he had just noticed it hung around his neck. The shape of the necklace looked familiar to Carlos, though he knew he had never the necklace before. Once again, it was like something just shot out of his mouth.

"Red Baron…"

Then, Carlos felt the surge of pain return, now engulfing his head. Carlos screamed and fell all the way to the floor. It was as if something within him was moving and bumping around his body. Sweat began to pour down Carlo's entire forehead, then his whole head, and then his whole body. He wanted to yell but nothing came out.

Engulfed in the tortuous feeling, all he could think of doing to praying. He silently did.

"Please, just get me out of here. I've seen enough."

Then the woman appeared in front of him, standing tall and looking down to him. She just looked down at him.

"It is time, Red Baron. Get up and face your destiny. Be prepared for we shall soon meet again. Until then you are to stay alive. No recklessness."

Carlos could only nod a little. The woman gave him a little grin.

"Good. Stay alive until then. And take care of that necklace."

Carlos opened his eyes. He was lying face up in bed and he sat up quickly. He looked around him and saw that it was just before dawn. The sun barely began to crack through the blinds of the nearby window. He felt around his face and body to see if he was okay. While he did feel a few sore spots around him, he looked like he was alive and somewhere safe. He gave a great sigh of relief and fell back onto the bed.

"Man, what kind of dream was that? Maybe I really do need to cut back on video games or somethin'."

While the thoughts of his dream and even the fight earlier were circling his head, Carlos found himself to be too tired and closed his eyes and once again fell asleep, unaware of the glowing necklace around his neck.

* * *

Without any sleep, the Dark Baron continued to follow what he sensed was the energy of the necklace that had eluded him and fallen into Carlos's hands. The moment he felt its presence dissipate, he knew that he was too late. 

"Perhaps the woman's persistence was not vain after all. Shame she failed to see the fruits of this rare achievement in life. Had she held me off any longer, I might have lost its position completely."

The Dark Baron was on the outskirts of the city. He was circling it, looking for an opportune place to call home. It was soon after he started his search that he found what he was looking for. It was an abandoned warehouse.

_This place will do quite nicely._

The Dark Baron landed. His surrounding energy created powerful gusts of wind that made the loosened leaves the dry summer night. However, these types of harsh winds were normal of the area, and the late night workers of this warehouse thought little of it when they made their way out of the warehouse's large doors.

"Hey, hurry up and let's get out of here. The wind's starting to pick up again and I left some things loose at home."

"Well I'm almost done. Just need to check the power here and we can send all the info through the wire."

The second worker who was taking the notes searched for the power controls, reaching around in the moon-lit warehouse. Finally, he found the box.

"Alright, watch your eyes!"

The worker turned the light on and one by one, the huge, industrial lights lit up, bringing a large amount of light into the room. The first worker confirmed that the outside lights were working as well.

"Hey, the breaker seems to be working for the outside, too. Can we go now?"

"Ya, sure, let's get going."

The Dark Baron then walked into the warehouse, walking past the first worker, ignoring his presence. The worker, on the other hand, did not.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing here?"

The second worker, believing the only person who would come at this our would be the buyer of the warehouse, came from behind his co-worker and smacked him in the back of the head, resulting in a loud yelp.

"We're sorry about that. I guess you must be the new owner of this place."

The Dark Baron looked at him with the corner of his eye, smiling.

"Yes, I do have a feeling about this place. I really like it."

"Well you should, sir. It's kind of old but it seems like it can really handle a lot of work when you start doing business here."

"Would I be able to start, tonight?"

The worker looked to his co-worker and was a little at a loss for words.

"Hmmm….ya, I guess. Everything is working great. You'd probably have to pay our boss first since that stuff is happening through a contract and stuff. Not to mention the power is going to be pulled in a couple of days."

The Dark Baron laughed.

"Don't worry about it. I have all the power I'm going to need."

The two workers shrugged, simply agreeing with him even if they didn't know what he meant. Then the wind began to pick up again.

"Oh, come on, let's go, the wind is starting to pick up again…"

"But it's not coming from outside…"

The two workers looked toward the Dark Baron, who was now face toward them, his arms crossed, his dark eyes pitch black and glowing.

"I can't let you go, I still have some thing I need from the two of you."

The two workers then began to grab at their heads. Each of their heads began throbbing with pain, their eyes beginning to bleed, grunting from the pain.

"You two will be the first to serve my new empire and lead me to my ultimate goal of power. This is indeed an honor as the universe will soon be under my command and you two will have a hand my recreation of it."

The two workers fell to the ground. The lights of the warehouse turned off and the wind died down once again.

* * *

Back at the hospital, Carlos condition began to worsen again, sweat beginning to drip from his face. His dreamless sleep was still haunted by a silent omen. As the doctors around him tried to cool him down, Carlos continued to sleep, unaware of the fate that was in store for him. 


	4. The Morning After

**The Red Baron**

**The Morning After**

Carlos awoke the next morning. He was surprised he woke up at all. The night before was filled with constant headaches, fevers, and rushes of pain that were constantly going on and off again. It was only after a complete set of sedation medicine and pain killers that he was finally allowed to sleep. However, being awake meant that they had already lost their effect and that at any moment, the pain would return.

Carlos didn't know what he dreamt of last night during his sedation but he remembered how horrible they were. What kept recurring in his mind was the dream he had before. The darkness; the giant flying ship, the ocean of blood, the war, and that girl with the sad eyes. He wasn't sure what it all was.

Carlos looked around. His mother was sleeping on the couch they had in the room for visitors. He figured that she must have skipped out of work to stay with him. She covered herself in a blue baby blanket that used to be his long ago though it's now mostly used as something to cover up with when it got cold at home. His mother always thought places like hospitals were cold so she must have brought the blanket to warm up in.

Resisting the urge to wake her, Carlos simply lied in bed, lounging and trying to gather his thoughts. He saw that he was covered in bandages from his fight and even felt a few of the bruises on him. He had an IV in him and as much as it bothered him, he tried to ignore it, having a bit of a fear of needles. In fact, it was the only thing attached to him. Now that he noticed, the room around him wasn't very sophisticated. It was actually pretty simple.

_Maybe I got better. They might let me go soon after all._

The thought excited him as he felt being confined to a hospital was bad enough. He stretched his free arm out. It felt good for him to stretch and even though it might have made the bruises ever more present, it wasn't enough for him to stop taking the opportunity for a quick stretch. That's when he felt something like a button and then heard a loud, whiny beep that startled him so much, he nearly jumped off the bed.

"Oops."

His mother woke up, half asleep and scratching the back of her head. She slowly opened her eyes and began to look around. As the sounds the screeching siren of the alarm became eventually apparent to her, she shook her head and realized that she was in the hospital and the alarm was from here. She gasped a little and looked over to the bed, seeing Carlos in his current predicament. She quickly realized that he was fine and awake and could already imagine what happened to cause the alarm to activate.

"Carlos, what are you doing?! Shut off that thing before they start running and thinking that you're dead or something!"

Carlos didn't have time to respond when an entire crew of nurses rushed in and began going back to heavy work of checking his stats and monitoring his vitals, all the while he stood up feeling as fine as usual. It was soon after one of the nurses turned off the alarm that everyone in the room seemed to calm down. They quieted down and looked at Carlos. Carlos grinned, eyes closed and scratching the back of his head as innocently as he could.

"Sorry about that. I was just stretching and moving my arms and then I felt that button and …"

Everyone in the room sighed and dispersed, leaving a few to make sure everything else was secure, including the alarm. With the rustling down, Carlos' mom was able to walk up and sit next to Carlos. She gave him a warm smile and as usual, he returned it. She stretched out her arms to give him a hug and he reached for her as well. Suddenly, a hand smacked across Carlos' face, startling the two nurses in the room. Carlos' mother had given him a hard smack to his bandage-less right cheek.

"OH MOM! What was that for?!

She gave him a look only an angry mother could give. Carlos' angry reaction was quickly shut down and turned into a face of fear of his mother.

"What do you think? I told you that just because I left you join that club with Hefley didn't mean you could go off and fight random kids on the street. That wasn't the point of going there nearly everyday and us spending money to have you go!"

Carlos realized that now that he was better, he should have realized that this was just the tip of the iceberg. Getting into a fight was the last thing his protective wanted him to get into.

"But Mom, it wasn't like I had a choice! They picked a fight with me. I totally stayed calm."

As Carlos told the tale of his encounter, he sat straight up in bed, waving his arms around, acting as if he was doing an interpretative dance of the scene. All the while his mother was in shock of the tale, her thoughts more focused on the violence and the fact that Carlos was involved at all.

"And my workout paid off! I was moving around and fighting with this one guy and I was hitting him and knocking him around Hefley was behind me taking another guy or guys but I don't know, I was just focused and trying to stay calm and get out of there in one piece…"

"Much good it did ya, huh?"

Hefley walked into the room. Carlos and his mother turned around. There he was, standing tall and almost unhurt. Though he had been knocked out, he seemed to have recovered quickly, only slight bruising was left and a small bandage on his forehead. He was all smiles as he took a seat right next to Carlos, laughing.

"Now the way I remember it was that you totally got "powned" out there. I was fighting of like 3 of them and you got taken down by one guy."

Carlos' mother turned back to her son, her eyes squinting and signaling another rise in anger, making Carlos unconsciously gulp while attempting to fight of a grin."

"And then when you finally beat the guy down, he gets up and smacks you in the back of the head with that metal thing and all, knocking you flat. If that hadn't distracted me, I would have totally taken out the guys, ya know."

Carlos spoke up in some attempt to keep his mother cool.

"Well, it's a nice thing we're still alive then, huh?"

It didn't work; his mother fed him another slap to the face, following a helpless yelp from Carlos.

As Carlos nursed his new injury and Helfey attempted to control his laughter, two more walked into the door. Josh noticed them first as he was facing the door and waved to them.

"What's up?!"

In the door came Devyn and Dawn. They were friends from the same school as Carlos and Carlos regularly hung around them and their group of friends when he wasn't around Hefley. Devyn was a fiery red head with fair skin which seemed almost a missed match to Dawn's much darker skin and hair. Nevertheless, they were two of Carlos' closest friends and they came to check up on Carlos. It was Devyn, holding a get well card, who approached him first.

"Hey Carlos, how's it going? Feeling any better?"

Dawn chimed in as well, having heard the story from Hefley himself. Out of the two girls, she had known Carlos the longest and was actually impressed to see him awake.

"I can't believe that you're even awake. Hefley said you got all beat up real bad."

Carlos sighed. He looked to Hefley was sad eyes.

"Is that how you told the story? You made me sound real bad, you know man. You probably made it sound like you did all the work."

"Of course I did! I fought 3 guys to your 1."

Devyn laughed.

"You only fought one guy? Jeez, Carlos. And Josh is the one walking around like all he did was trip. Such a loser."

Even if it was sarcastic, he still felt the sting. But that was all the conversation they were going to get on the subject. The story of her son being beaten up was just too much for one short sitting.

"Okay, I think it's time we changed subjects, right?"

Dawn, at the corner of the room, was looking through Carlos' stuff, of which she had a habit of doing. It got Carlos' attention.

"Dawn…what are you doing with my stuff. I don't really have anything, remember? I was leaving the dojo when I got beaten down. All I have are my clothes and glasses."

"Oh ya, then what's this here?"

In her hand was the necklace. The light from the window reflected the strong, gold shine which came from it and filled the room. It was blinding and for a moment, everyone was closing their eyes, shielding them from the intense light. They all called for her to put it down. All except Carlos.

He had suddenly remembered the necklace and he was again begun going into a trance, only more aware this time. He felt his body stiffen. He tried to speak but couldn't. He tried to breath but nothing moved. All he could do was move his eyes.

_It's like before…_

Carlos fell back onto the bed. There was silence. Everyone around him soon noticed and they began to run around. It looked like his mother had pressed the alarm again but he couldn't hear it or anything else. With nothing left to do, Carlos just closed his eyes.

* * *

The Dark Baron stood alone in the warehouse. A storm was forming outside and the warehouse did everything but prevent the storm from penetrating the boundaries. But this did little to stop the Dark Baron from his business.

"Have you finally awaken, Kane?"

From the shadows of the lightly lit warehouse walked a tall, extremely muscular man. He had long, shoulder length hair and his face was rugged with a soft layer of facial hair. His right eye seemed scarred around the edges but it appeared to still be functional. He wore what seemed to leather body armor, though it did little to cover him and it seemed more for looks. He wore long pants but no shoes to speak of. And as he approached the Dark Baron, his size seemed clearly obvious as the Dark Baron only reached to mid-chest on Kane. His voice was deep and full of bass and contrary to his look, he spoke with a controlled tone.

"Yes, my Lord. The sacrifice was impudent but sufficient for the purpose of returning me to this realm."

"Good. It is about time we test the mettle of the new possessor of the necklace."

"But what of the guardian, my Lord? Does she not pose a threat?"

The Dark Baron turned to him, smile on his face.

"You need not worry about the White One. I have dealt with the warrior and the task was quick. She will not be bothering and the operation will prove to me much easier then expected."

Kane roared with joy and flexed, trying to control his excitement."

"Excellent, my Lord. Now we will be able to reclaim your former glory and obtain the power we have search long for."

"Do not excite yourself too much, Kane. Do remember that even the Red Baron does have enough power to defeat even you when at full strength. If the new master of the necklace is well trained, it may prove difficult for you."

"You must not worry about my health, my Lord. For your power is enough to take on the Red Baron even at his peak."

The Dark Baron began to make his way toward the entrance of the warehouse. The rain began to pour down. The sky had grown dark and lightning crashed, providing the little light there was.

"I thank you for your faith in me, Kane, but my own power has not reached its peak. If the power of the other necklace is at its peak, then the battle will prove interesting. Which is why we must have insurance to guarantee victory in one assult."

"Do you plan to wait and summon the others before we commence with the attack, my Lord?"

"No, to do so would drain me of energy and further delay our actions. It was enough to summon you but the extra guarantee I propose is something I can wipe up quite easily."

The Dark Baron, standing in the rain, extended his arm out from under his flowing robe. His eyes began to glow a dark purple that illuminated his face. Streaks of purple lightning began to shoot from his torso to his extended hand. Kane commentated on what he witnessed.

"Yes, I see. You are going to summon those devils you learned of in the last effort. It amazes me that your ability to command them has gone unhindered this last millennium in confinement."

The Dark Baron grinned and began his incantation.

"Spawns of the Underworld. Soldiers of Death. I hereby summon your presence from the realm of Hell in my world! Come forth my Soldatos!"

In front of them there then appeared a small, vibrating pool. Even in the dark, it seemed to be illuminated with the same purple glow that shone from the Dark Baron. What appeared to be smoke came from the pool. An arm appeared, drenched in whatever the pool was made of. Then another arm came. And soon the figure pulled itself free from the vortex. It stood up over the pool. Slowly, the ooze dripped off of it and the look of the creature came to light. It bore no face. No hair. No facial structure to speak of. It merely stood as if it were a man. Its skin was gray and it appeared slouched. It was pretty built, a solider as its name suggested. Even without eyes, it was clear it looked directly at the Dark Baron. However, Kane was not impressed, almost laughing.

"Excuse my opinion, my Lord, but perhaps your ability to summon these creatures _has_ actually diminished…"

Before he could say more, the pool underneath the creature bust open wide, thousands of times more grand then before. The border of the pool reached the feet of the Dark Lord and Kane. Kane stood back in awe of his master ability. From the growing pool began to sprout hundreds of the Soldatos. All of them the same, with strong form and battle ready figures. The Dark Baron laughed.

"Yes, Kane, you're right. My power actually did fail me at the moment. These creatures should have been stronger and there should have been more of them."

"Ah…"

Kane's dropped jaw had to be consciously shut. He fought to retrieve his composure as to not humiliate himself. The Dark Baron only laughed him off again.

"No worries my dear servant. This band of Soldatos will be plenty for the upcoming task. As they bask in the glory of this world, they will soon be prepared to fight. By next morning, this rain will have washed away their former connection to Hell and they will be mine to control. Then, we will take this city and its inhabitants."

The storm above crashed more lightening and thunder. The Dark Baron looked up at it, letting the rain soak him. He smiled with a sinister grin.

* * *

Carlos sat up in bend and began to shout. His fever had returned and the doctors in the room began to sedate them. They had been trying for hours to cool him down but it seemed that while it was not rising, his temperature remained hot. Finally, the injection of a sedative calmed him down. The doctor who was treating him walked outside to speak with Carlos' frightened mother.

"Mrs. Figueroa, we're not sure what is wrong with him but it appears that he has stabilized where he is. It's some sort of fever but we don't know what's causing the seizures and the pain. If his condition worsens, we're going to have to move him to the hospital in the next city. Their facilities should be able to investigate."

Carlos' mother could only nod. Mr. Figueroa had just arrived and they stood together, peering into the room. Carlos laid there sleeping and for all anyone else knew, he was sound asleep. But in the farthest reaches inside him, there was something still going on. Only Carlos knew it. Only Carlos felt. And Carlos had to fight it off until something else could be done. And he slept until the answer came.


	5. Megalomaniac

**The Red Baron**

**Megalomaniac**

The area was known for the most beautiful sunrises, even with the large city in its boundaries. So colorful and bright it was that some would awaken and completely forget all their troubles and worries. For the hard working citizens, it's a beacon that guided them toward their day. It shone as a symbol for the people and reminded one and all that life meant something, and it was meant to be lived.

However, the sun did not rise that morning. High above the tallest building, dark and gray clouds had rolled over in the night, overshadowing the entire populace, preventing the merciful and radiant glow of the morning sun to shine through. Instead, in the wake of this day came clashing storms. Thunder and lightning clashed in the heavens, as if a fierce battle lay hidden above the clouds. The true battle had yet to begin at all.

Master Janus had sensed the eerie feel as she sat outside her dojo's interior, meditating on the old wooden porch that lay between the inner studio and the outside training ground that lay within the main structure. The wind blew with fierce gusts that threatened to tear down the rare cheery blossoms that Janus had devoted much time into growing. However, her concern was not with the trees.

She opened her eyes. She tilted her head up into the sky, looking up at it, watching as the clouds were visibly moving and the lightning jumping along them. Any other day, this would have been a wondrous sight, even if it did upset the regular morning sunrise.

"But that's just it. This type of whether seem a little funny for this region. While it's true the season is here, it doesn't explain how incredibly early this storm is coming in."

She stood up and walked to the edge of the porch, switching on the small radio that she had left there for easy listening during her own exercise. As if reading her mind, a whether report was the first thing that came clear.

"…the sun clearly not giving us a friendly smile today with those clouds in the way. Of course, this is strange weather for our neck of the woods and it doesn't look like its going to pass soon with the way the pressure moving the way it is. As for how the rain will affect traffic, it look's like…"

Janus's focus turned away from the radio. She sensed something. Unsure of what it was, he simply walked up to her radio and switched it off, unplugging it like it was any other day. She put the cord into a neat roll and carried up with her and she headed for the door, even tapping her foot cheerfully.

As she turned right into the door, a figure appeared behind her suddenly. It rose its arms up, as if ready to strike or grab her. However, Janus quickly spun around, smashing the radio onto the figure's head with such brutal strength that the radio shattered into hundreds of pieces. This was not the only attack she made. Showing no mercy to this person who snuck up behind her, she instantly launched her foot into this creatures gut and sent it flying backwards several yards behind, landing on the floor with a loud crunch and finishing with a long screech and trail on the ground.

Janus was calm, even smiling. She walked toward the figure that was lying on the floor to investigate. As she closed in, she noticed that the figure wore some sort of gray outfit. It was definitely none of her student had worn but she continued to examine the situation as if it were.

"Think you could pull a fast one on me, did ya? I suppose you thought it would be comical to sneak up on your defenseless master? You should be ashamed-"

She paused and gasped suddenly. The person on the floor had looked up and for a split moment, it appeared as if it had no face. The shock was enough to distract Janus and she did a double take only to see the figure had disappeared.

"Wha…Where did it go?"

The creature appeared in front of Janus. It was shocking. Janus did not react in time as the faceless, gray figure launched its own physical attack, adding to his reappearance a swift uppercut. Shockingly, the strength of the attack was powerful enough to send Janus off her feet and a little off the ground.

She quickly fell back to earth, landing square on her back and bouncing onto her side. Her eyes lay open, her body shivering, sweat pour from her brow.

The gray creature walked up to her and lifted his leg. She appeared stunned, if not unconscious, from the attack and the creature meant to finish off Janus quickly. A bright light formed around the leg of the creature. It was dark, purple color and it began to flow around his leg like a shining aura around a body.

Without further warning, he stepped down hard toward Janus. A loud crash was followed as the area was covered in dust from a strong gust of air produced by the force of the attack. It was as if someone had used dynamite on the grounds.

Soon, the smoke did clear and in the wake of the attack, under the gray creature's foot was a crater, the width of a normal sized person. But there was no Janus to be found. The creature then saw a shadow appear under him and overcast above him. It quickly looked up and saw Janus in the air above it. Janus' smile revealed all to well her confidence in this battle.

It was justified. She began an onslaught off attack starting with a powerful kick while still in midair into the face of the faceless intruder. While the impact was enough to send him flying, Janus did not let him go anywhere. She quickly grabbed onto its legged and pulled it toward her. Right when it was underneath her again, She set it that she would land on top of it, digging her knees into its body. While it did not scream, it was obvious from its violent movements that it was hurt.

"Time to end it."

Janus lifted up her arms and began to rain down a fury of punches that sounded more like small explosions then anything else. Janus let out a set of screams to accompany her rage as she struck the creature and what were hopefully all its vital points, from the center of the chest and the ribs to the dead center of the face, hoping to destroy in this manner. The shockwave emitting from the blows were proof enough that the attacks were devastating by any standards.

Soon, Janus stopped and jumped back. She waited for the possible next move. It didn't happen. The figure just seemed to melt and be absorbed into the ground. With it was a subtle scream of shriek of some sort, as if it was in the distance but clearly coming from the dissolving enemy's position. Eventually, it was gone, leaving only a small cloud of purple smoke that floated into the air. Janus approached it and instantly smelled something horrid and forced her to step back again and hold her breath. He knew exactly what she smelled.

_Sulfur…_

Before she could further analyze the situation, she suddenly felt something. She looked around her, as if looking for something around her. She seemed almost frantic but she quickly calmed down and held a focused frown on her face. She was indeed in search of something but not with eyes, but with her mind.

"I sense something. Energy. I haven't felt this type of spike of energy in decades. But it isn't him. It's someone else. Others. There are two large powers along with hundreds of other smaller powers. The smaller ones are similar to the one here but the larger two were something different altogether."

She went back inside and stepped back out, wearing a black vest and pants with a white undershirt. It appeared to be some sort of martial arts uniform, not unlike what is used by other martial arts masters in the world. Now out on her front porch and the front of her dojo, she looked toward the city, now able to visibly see destruction in the distance. The dojo was not so close to the downtown area but was close enough she was able to see rising smoke and some small flames and even the faint cries of people from its general area.

"It appears that there is trouble in the city and that that gray beast was involved. I am going to have to investigate."

Janus began to run toward the city.

* * *

The Dark Baron stood on top of the tallest building of the city. He looked down, his face stiff, lacking any emotion, as he witnessed the destruction his minions caused hundreds of feet below. On this rainy day, he could reach out and touch the clouds themselves. However, his vision was not at all impaired by the weather and he could clearly see the havoc from high above.

It was then Kane instantly appeared behind him, but he was anything but silent.

"My Lord! We have encountered many of defenses and as you predicted, they are unable to hold off our forces. While we initially lost some of our men to their weapons, it was not long before we were able to counter with simple energy attacks that apparently their men are unable to perform in retaliation. We will have this city within the hour."

"Excellent. Then we can make this a new staging ground for in our campaign of domination of this world, a world that should have been rightfully mine over a thousand years ago had it not been for him. While we are on that subject, have you located the necklace and its owner?"

"No, my lord. I have not been able to locate the signature emitted by his powers. Without the technology at our disposal, I have been forced to simple sense for his energy and it seems either no one is in possession of the necklace or the owner has not made a move toward our position."

"I cannot blame the poor soul. With the noise being made by the Soldatos, the bearer of the necklace must be hiding, probably unable to comprehend the powers of the necklace. It requires proper training, of which I'm sure no human in city has mastered considering the level of resistance we're facing."

"Your orders then, my lord?"

The Dark Baron turned around and faced the kneeling Kane. A small gust passed by them as the storm approached the rain grew stronger.

"You're orders are simple. You will order the Soldatos to search for the necklace, destroying everything in their path; we are in no need of anyone here, dead or alive. Plunder the city of any useful resources to use at our disposal. Once the necklace has been located, report back to me immediately. Understood?"

Kane smiled, revealing the large size of his grin.

"Of course, my Lord."

Kane vanished again. The Dark Baron turned again and faced the streets below, again observing the movements of his men as they searched for the necklace and dealt with the city's defenses.

However, within a few minutes, a powerful explosion erupted from the bottom of the tower, so much that it rocked the very foundation. The Dark Baron looked around, undaunted by the rupture but curious as to where the sudden increase of might came from.

_I had sensed it for just a moment. There was something powerful down there. Perhaps some actually made use of that necklace…_

The Dark Baron stepped off the building and slowly descended toward the ground below. As he made his way down, the small explosions of power continued, again only in short bursts, too short for the Dark Baron to tell from where they came. He simply followed the destruction as he saw it happen.

He then came in range of a figure he did not notice. It appeared to be a woman, wearing black, surrounded by the demolished bodies of Soldatos. She was looking up at the Dark Baron, keeping a stern and focused look. The Dark Baron landed near her and spoke.

"So, you must be the bearer of the necklace? A shame it was a woman that came to possess it."

Janus' look did not change. However, she was puzzled and asked for clarification.

"Of what necklace do you speak? I own many necklaces, as I am a woman who enjoys a little of the finer things in life."

The Dark Baron laughed.

"Oh, so one with a sense of humor. However, you cannot it from me. Seeing my men at your feet means you possess some power and I can only imagine the one who bears the necklace has any chance at defending themselves against them, much last destroy them."

"I don't know who you're talking about but I am not the one whom you speak of. I'm just a teacher."

Janus went into stance and powered up. A transparent aura of gray color surrounded her and her body began to glow. The Dark Baron looked almost pleased.

"Well, it appears I was wrong and that, in fact, this world does have decent abilities in defending itself. It's a shame that only you dare to show up. Are you really the only thing this planet has to offer, you old witch?"

Janus showed her teeth and suddenly disappeared. She reappeared in front of the Dark Baron, already in mid-air, so close to connecting with a powerful kick to the face. Janus smiled as the attack made ready to connect.

However, her attack was stopped. A hand had wrapped around her ankle. She looked to her side and saw a large man, even bigger then her target, holding on to her leg, easily his hand wrapped around it. It was Kane.

Before Janus could react, Kane yelled as he threw her in the opposite direction, putting her straight into the department store near by. She crashed into the wall and it broke apart, brick and dust flying at all angles. However, Janus was able to land on her feet, stopping herself from going all the way through the wall, standing on the side walk trying got regain her bearings.

Kane locked his eyes on Janus. The Dark Baron spoke to him.

"Kane, it would appear that this pest is something of an overlooked defense of this city. It doesn't appear like the Soldato is up to the task. I'm afraid you're going to have to get our hands dirty,"

Kane's body shook with excitement.

"Thank you, my Lord. I have been dying to grind my fists into someone's face and not break after on try."

Janus looked up and saw the giant monster slowly walk toward her. He smiled with his teeth, making a soft but audible chuckle. He moved with such balance, amazing that someone of his size could move so precisely. He cracked his knuckles and clutched his fist, eager for a fight. Janus pulled herself up, dusting herself off and cracking her neck. While it was true that this guy was tough, she knew that she was just getting started.

With a smile on her face, she looked toward as he stepped close to her.

* * *

Mr. and Mrs. Figueroa talked to the doctors outside the room. Josh was outside, ready to take off for a while, having been there for most of the late morning.

"I'm going to go and grab a bite to eat somewhere else. Even on the weekends, I totally can't eat the food here."

He was speaking with Dawn, whom looked anxious to join him, not wanting to have to eat a meal in the hospital as well.

"I think you're right. I really don't want to eat here. Carlos wouldn't mind us leaving anyway. He'd probably eat the food here if he woke up while we were gone. Hey Dev, you want to come with us?"

Devyn was sitting on a chair in Carlos' room. She was watching the local news with it on mute, reading the closed captioning that appeared at the bottom of the screen. While they were waiting for Carlos to wake up again, no one there really though it should be television grabbing his attention first moments he woke up.

"No, that's alright. I'll go ahead and keep Carlos company in case he wakes up while you're gone. But could you bring me back something?"

She stood up and walked over to them. After they decided what place around the area was best, she gave them her request. As they were discussing, the television began to play back a breaking news story from downtown. It showed a camera man and a reporter out in the downtown area, covering the story of the invasion of the Dark Baron's minions.

The camera man was filing the report give details of the scene. Explosions and people running were the majority of the shots taken by the cameraman. While they seemed to be hiding in a building, it wasn't long before they were discovered, the first target being the news reporter. Apparently frightened, the cameraman began to back away and appeared to drop the camera, the camera pointing in his direction as it fell to the ground, recording the cameraman being jumped by the creatures. It cut to fuzz.

As the screen went to gray, Devyn walked back into the room and seeing the fuzz on the television. She watched for a second, then looked outside, seeing the thick rain clouds.

"The signal must not be getting through…."

Without much thought, she changed the channel to a cooking show going on and decided to just keep it there.

* * *

Josh and Dawn were making their way out the front door. They were looking around as people were beginning to crowd around the front of the building, sparking their own interest.

"Hey, Josh, what's going on outside?"

Josh started to pay more attention, squinting his eyes as he tried to look past all the heads in front of him. He tried to push his way through to get to the front. Dawn stayed back, unable to squeeze her way in.

"What do you see?"

Josh looked in amazement as much as the people around him. As the rain poured down on them, tall, gray, faceless figures began to make their way toward the hospital. Behind them was smoke and crushed and crashed cars. Fires coming from building and even some of the other cars. People were running away from them, most in a state of panic while others seemed to think it was wise to fight back. As Josh and the other in this hospital witnessed, that was not such a wise option.

The men apparently rushed toward of the gray figure and hit them square in the face. However, in quick retaliation, the gray figure grabbed the pole and ripped it from the man's hands. Another gray figure was behind the man and grabbed him by the shirt and followed through with a quick swipe of the head and threw him straight through the window of a nearby grocery store.

The others behind the door began to move away from the door and run toward the interior of the hospital. Josh moved back as few feet from the door until he reached Dawn. The tow of them watched as a group of five security members rushed outside the doors and began to go into a firing formation.

Josh and Dawn there heard the news on the television near by, one that wasn't silent, playing in the clinic's waiting room. It was turned up by one of the women in the waiting room as the news anchor attempted to explain the situation.

"It appears the beasts that have appeared in our downtown are in search for something, as stated by our man on the scene shortly before…before he was attacked. We have no word from him yet and we have not sent anyone else into the area. However, we've just been given word by authorities that we are at the highest level of threat and are asking all citizens to seek shelter as far away from downtown as possible or to barricade themselves within their homes. Those of you in the downtown area still able to hear us are asked to be patient in their homes and wait for local military to come in. Do not engage the enemy as they are extremely dangerous and possess fantastic weaponry-"

Josh and Dawn were quickly distracted by the sound of gunshots coming from the front of the hospital. The armed security had begun firing on the gray figures. However, bright flashes of light were being seen and one by one, the men were being blown back by some sort of energy.

One crashed through the front door and landed near Josh. The man was unconscious, the front of his short seemingly burned off and his chest bruised and appeared to be swelling. Blood was running from his mouth and nose, his eyes wide open. Josh kneeled down to check his pulse. Dawn looked down only to have Josh look up and shake his head. The security guard was dead. Josh stood up and looked to Dawn.

"Dawn, you have to go upstairs and tell Carlos' parents to get out of here and tell the doctors the same. These guys mean business."

"What are you goin to do?"

"I'm going to tell everyone on this floor to get out too, just in case they didn't get the message."

Dawn nodded and head back up the elevator. Josh turned around in time to watch the Soldatos rip through the entrance of the building. A few remaining security officers rushed in trying to take them out with their sticks, only to be again blown away by the energy attack of the creatures. Josh gulped, stretching his arms and legs and getting into fighting stance.

"Looks like security's been slacking."

His voice caught the attention of the Soldatos. They seemed to look up and stare at him with their faceless heads. The Soldato in front raised his arms and aimed it at Josh. A drop of sweat dripped from his brow. He gulped again. Without any additional warning, the Soldato in from opened fire and shot a ball of white energy at Josh.

As it came closer, Josh extended his arm behind him. His eye focused on the ball of energy coming toward him. As the ball reached only a couple of feet in front of him, he swung his arm fast, incredibly fast, and smacked the energy ball into the ground, making a small explosion and creating a haze in the room. Josh smiled at the Soldatos.

"Sorry guys, looks like you're gonna have to go through me. He He!"


End file.
